Stinging Palms and Gentle Hands
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Emerald is used to the harsh feel of Cinder's palm against her cheek and the lingering self-loathing that always follows. She has grown to accept it as a simple part of her life. Neo, on the other hand, hates seeing her in pain and strives to convince her that she deserves better.


**Everyone seems to be thinking one of two things concerning our favorite villains. They're either maniacally rubbing their hands together with excitement (me with Roman, Neo, and Adam) or having vivid daydreams of their heads on pikes (me with freaking Mercury and Cinder). The only one I'm neutral toward is Emerald, mainly because I see a strong potential for redemption, or at least a stronger potential than any of the others. She seems to be the only one who didn't actually enjoy the events of this most recent episode. She was just doing her job, but she never smiled about it. I don't know. It's a thought.**

 **This idea has been in my head since the Cinder backstory episode. I can't forget that one black-out scene where Emerald is trying to say that they don't need Mercury's dad and are fine without anyone else, only to get slapped by Cinder. That, combined with the pretty apparent crush she seems to have on her, has me convinced of some behind-the-scenes abuse, or at least some emotional manipulation.**

 **I originally planned to have this be an Em &M fic with Mercury and Emerald, but Mercury is a horrible bastard who made Ruby cry and I hate everything about him right now so he doesn't get any happiness! Ahem… I hope you enjoy this.**

Emerald listened for a few minutes, trying to discern whether anyone was coming down the hallway, before collapsing on her bed and starting to quietly sob. Her cheek still stung with the memory of Cinder's palm. Thankfully, her superior hadn't been angry enough to burn her this time.

Why couldn't she learn to keep her stupid mouth shut? She knew how things worked by now: Do as Cinder says without question. Obedience brings rewards. Disobedience brings anger. Anger, more often than not, brings pain.

It had been a minor disagreement, which was probably why Cinder hadn't burned her. Emerald had tried speaking against Mercury showing himself at the match. If someone caught him, if the wrong person saw him, if something went wrong with her illusion, everything would fall apart.

Of course, a swift slap and a reminder to never question her orders was more than enough to silence her. Cinder had also added a subtle threat as to what would happen if something _did_ go wrong with the illusion. Mustering as much dignity as she could, Emerald had quietly withdrawn to her room.

She didn't know why she was crying. She had been hurt much worse in the past. Also, it wasn't like Cinder never slapped Mercury when he got out of line. Though, he never seemed to be truly affected by it. He once told her that his dad hit a lot harder, so this was nothing.

For Emerald, it was far from nothing. Every fading sting on her cheek echoed tenfold in her chest. She felt stupid, weak, worthless…

"Em?"

Emerald looked up with a start. Neo was standing in front of the bed, leaning on her folded parasol. Of course, there had been no sound of the door opening or closing.

The young thief wiped her eyes as she sat up. "H-Hey, Neo."

Neo frowned, leaning her parasol against the wall before walking over to the bed and sitting down. "She hit you again." It wasn't a question. Few things got Emerald to cry like this, after all.

Emerald winced, turning away to stare at the floor. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Neo felt a familiar surge of anger in her chest and she placed a hand on Emerald's arm. She rested her cheek on her shoulder, nuzzling gently against the darker skin. She noticed the way her friend's back was slightly hunched and how her shoulders drooped. That wasn't right. Emerald wasn't supposed to be like this. She was strong, smart, and beautiful. Why couldn't Cinder see that?

She hugged the older girl's arm as her eyes briefly flashed red to reflect her quiet rage. "She shouldn't hit you." These were familiar words, but words she felt were necessary every time.

"It's just her method of discipline. I'm her subordinate. I should know my place." These words were also regularly repeated.

"It's not right," Neo protested. "You're worth more than that."

"I wasn't worth anything before she found me," Emerald muttered, thinking back to her days as a petty thief. "She saved me. She gave me a purpose. I owe her."

Neo snorted. "Roman saved me from the streets too. He never hits me."

"Well…" Emerald started to say that Cinder was dealing with wielding the Fall Maiden's powers, but remembered that she had started hitting her before the attack on Amber. She found herself unable to think of her usual excuses. She looked at Neo, who was staring back with a dry expression. "I don't know," she finally sighed.

Neo wrapped her arms around Emerald, resting her cheek on her shoulder again. _Why does she still worship Cinder?_ she wondered. _She deserves better._

Emerald sniffed once more before allowing her head to rest on top of Neo's. It was nice to have someone who cared for her. _Besides Cinder,_ she reminded herself. _Cinder_ does _care about me!_ Still, it was good to have a sympathetic ear when Cinder was either angry or not available.

Mercury was a cocky jerk who shook off any issue with a laugh. She would never think of crying in front of him. He would just remind her of how much harder his dad would hit, and probably throw in some crap about how he never cried even then.

Roman was just a creep with a face she wanted to punch. He was kind to Neo, but that didn't mean he wasn't a weirdo. Emerald was fine with him as long as he stayed out of her way.

Neo, for a long time, had been an enigma. She never spoke when around lots of people. Even in small gatherings, she barely said more than a few words. It wasn't until she started working more intimately with Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury that they even got a good idea on what her voice sounded like. Emerald thought it was a fitting voice: quiet, confident, and with a hint of laughter that only faded when she was really angry, like now.

Over time, the two girls grew closer through their mutual disgust with Mercury's attempts to flirt with them. After witnessing Cinder hitting Emerald for the first time, Neo had stayed with the thief all night, hugging her silently. Even though she was so much smaller, her embrace had been so warm and comforting. Emerald often found herself craving it, sometimes even more than Cinder's approval.

"I'd never hit you," Neo muttered, almost to herself. She felt Emerald stiffen in surprise at her words. Her face flushed, but she moved back enough to meet the taller girl's gaze.

Emerald stared into her friend's heterochromatic eyes, which were almost defiant as they looked back at her. She blinked a few times. "I…I know you wouldn't," she whispered. It was true. Neo would never hurt her. Why did that simple, already-known fact suddenly make her want to start crying again?

Neo reached toward Emerald's face, gently wiping away the new tears as they flowed from her beautiful, blood-red eyes. She leaned closer. Emerald didn't move.

Her lips tasted like salt, and were chapped and dry. To Neo, they felt absolutely heavenly. She was as gentle as could be as she kissed them, her own lips trembling as more tears coated her tongue. She placed one hand over Emerald's cheek, right over where Cinder's palm mark was still fading. Her other hand moved downward to softly stroke at the bare skin at Emerald's hip.

Emerald shivered, her brows creasing with confusion. These touches were so strange, so alien, and so new. Until recently, she had flinched every time Neo hugged her. She certainly had never imagined what it would be like to be kissed and touched like _this_. She felt like she mattered. She felt safe. She felt loved.

This was so unfamiliar, but it felt so _good_. She didn't want it to end.

Slowly, she brought her hands up to rest on Neo's shoulders and cautiously began to kiss back. The bi-colored girl's lips were incredibly soft and carried a faint taste of vanilla. Her touch was soothing and Emerald could feel her pulse slowing and her eyes drying in response to it.

When the kiss ended, Neo took a cloth handkerchief from her pocket and gently dabbed at Emerald's face until no stray tears remained. She smiled sadly at the stunned look in those red eyes. "Want me to stay?" she asked.

Emerald nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She changed into her pajamas and handed Neo a spare set. She almost giggled at how the sleeves flopped over the small girl's wrists and how the legs had to be rolled up three times. _She's so cute!_ she found herself thinking. She realized that this wasn't her first time thinking this.

 _She has such a pretty smile,_ Neo thought as she noticed the slight change in Emerald's expression. She returned the tiny smile with one of her own, though without the trademark cockiness that often went with it.

The two eventually settled under the covers, Neo hugging Emerald around the middle, head tucked under the older girl's chin. She could feel her pulse thrumming softly against her ear. Next to the sound of her blade being drawn from her parasol, there was no sound more pleasing. She moved her head up briefly to kiss Emerald's cheek before snuggling close again. "Good night, Em."

Emerald hugged Neo tightly, savoring her warmth, which was so unlike Cinder's harsh, burning heat. "Good night, Neo." As she closed her eyes and started to fall asleep, she realized that neither her face, nor her heart, were hurting anymore.

 **What is this ship called? Lime Sherbet? That's what I'll call it until someone says otherwise. I know that most people make Neo mute in their stories, but RT has said that she's going to have a voice actor. So, until we see more of her character, I'm going to write her as someone who talks, but only when she wants to. My head canon currently is that Roman and Neo have a father/daughter relationship and that Roman is nice to her, if no one else. We'll see what ends up happening. (Side note: Who else thought she was so freaking adorable twirling Roman's hat on his cane?)**

 **Please review, but don't flame. Cinder has that covered. Peace out!**


End file.
